Next Actions--The Way Out!

I was reminded (by my friend Al--thanks Al!) of something that I believe is very important: NEXT ACTIONS.  What is a "next action," you might ask?  Well, in a nutshell, it's the next step you need to take toward completing a project.  A project has several steps.  If we don't break the project into those steps, and determine the next action, the project can get stalled.

I stalled on church planting.  In the "waiting" for God to sell our house, I stopped planning out the next actions for planting.  Last week that changed.  I wrote out what I needed to accomplish--some goals--and put some next actions to them.  My personal challenge was to accomplish at least one next action every week.  The amazing thing that happened was that I knocked out a bunch of them in one week!

I have to give credit to David Allen for his awesome book Getting Things Done.  Now if I can just continue to apply it!


Have you stalled on any projects lately?  What do you do to stay motivated, stay on task, and get things done?

Omaha Vineyard

Today we visited the Omaha Vineyard. It was great! Just like home, but with new faces! Spent some time talking to Scott Ross, the pastor. He definitely has a pastor's heart--very caring. He delivered a great message on not taking advantage of our freedom in Christ. Good stuff!

Even though they are not part of the Midwest region (which is weird!), Scott knows some of the Midwest guys (like Dan Paxton), and knew some about the previous Sioux Falls plant attempt. He said the circumstances weren't right for it. That's the feeling we've gotten from many people we've talked to about it. Scott himself actually planted the church there in Omaha. He came from California and didn't have a team, and yet there they are with a thriving church 14 years later. Very encouraging! He said the first year was HARD though. I believe it!

The big thing to me right now is I want to really develop connections with my future Vineyard neighbors in the north--both pastors and church planters. I believe those connections are going to be vital to the success of our plant. I know we will need those relationships when times get tough and we want to throw in the towel. (Not that those times will ever come. ;))

No one's been over to view our house in several weeks. Still trusting in God's timing, but it's getting harder, not easier!

Workshops

I've been listening to The Ultimate Sales Machine for work. So far, it's a great, practical book and I recommend it for any business. But what about the business of the church? There is so much wisdom that I feel like I've gained from the world of business that can also apply to church life. As one example, in this book he makes a big deal about workshops, and describes how to run an effective workshop. The advantages of doing workshops, as I see it: collaboration, ideas, buy in, relational approach to problem soving, others will see blind spots you don't, anyone can participate (or, as Wimber probably would have put it, "Everyone plays"). The idea is that a question is asked, everyone is given time to think on it, then people share their thoughts. The thoughts are written down and voted on. Then action is taken on the things that rise to the top. A lot of churches do things by committee, and I'm not big on the committee approach, but I like the idea of several people coming up with solutions to a problems in a one-time workshop (with follow up action taken by select individuals).

Workshops could be done on...

• Ways to Fulfill the Church's Vision
• Creative Ideas for Impacting the Community
• How to Resolve Parking Issues
• Finding a Location for the Church

And just about any problem the church can come up with that needs to be resolved!

Of course, I am definitely getting ahead of myself. Probably won't have enough people for workshops anytime too soon! But just trying to has out as much as I can ahead of time. ;)

What do you think of the workshop idea? What wisdom do you think the church could learn from the business world?

Momentum

Looks like I need a little of the topic du jour: MOMENTUM! The toughest thing right now is that we are here and want to be there. I thought we would be there by now, but we're stuck here until the house sells. Have you ever been there? I mean, have you ever had a grandiose vision, but felt stuck in the mud and totally dependent upon God to pry you loose and send you on your way (and only in His time!)?

Just a quick quote from Dave Ramsey...

Momentum Theorem
Focused intensity over time multiplied by God creates unstoppable momentum.

Lord, gimme some of that!!

Innovation

The Nines was awesome! It was an online "confer-ence". Each speaker had 9 minutes on 9-9-09 to share anything they wanted to with Christian leaders across the nation. I only got to listen in spurts because it was on a work day, but here were some great thoughts by Gary Surratt from Seacoast Church about Innovation (with my thoughts in orange):

1. You hit the wall. Something is not working. [Pretty much any vision begins with frustration about something not being the way it should be.]

2. You get discouraged. You see it as a failure. “It’s ok to sit on the pity potty as long as you don’t get ring around the hiney.” [Yes! That's awesome!]

3. Trust God. Never been a day when God said: “I didn’t see that one coming.” [True dat!]

4. You start by asking the barrier breaking questions. "If nothing were impossible, what could we accomplish here?" [He also mentioned a question that I've been thinking about often..."If God's will was being done on earth as it is in heaven, what would that look like?"]

5. You collect innovative ideas. Get people in the room. Pray. Brainstorm. If you start filtering first you never get creative. Our matrix is easy/hard and big win/small win. [I love this idea! We'll definitely use this one!] We pick two or three and then we filter.

6. You do it until it quits working. Every new idea has an expiration date. [I agree. Everything has its season--and then eventually needs to be reworked, or cancelled altogether!]

So...I ask the deep question: If God's will was being done on earth as it is in heaven, what would that look like? What would that look like in your life and in your community?

Calling: The Houston Intensive

This past weekend I went to Houston for the Vineyard Southwest Region Church Planting Intensive. It was a great weekend. It definitely confirmed much of what we've sensed God is speaking to us. There was a lot of information about your calling and character as a church planter. Here are a few quick summary points from Bert Waggoner, the President of the Vineyard, about your calling:

• God takes the initiative. We operate under His mandate, not just a good idea.
• It [church planting] is a horrible career, not just something you choose.
• There are no volunteers. You listen, wait and respond.
• Not based on what we have to offer, but on God’s ability.
• It’s not about us!

I think we constantly need to be reminded that--like Bert said--we need to hear God in any career path we "choose", and that it really isn't a choice at all. We listen and obey. And that's a good thing!

As a side note: The Vineyard in the Houston area has a 90% church planting success rate. Not too shabby (AT ALL!) since the rate at one time was in the 40% range for the Vineyard overall. (I think it's much higher overall than that now.) Sounds like the keys are better qualifying calling, character, and readiness of the church planter, and, I believe, improved relationships between church planters and other Vineyard leaders.

Question to think about: Are you currently doing what you're doing because God called you to do it?

The Principle of the Path

I've been soaking up Andy Stanley leader-ship podcasts on my way home from work. (Like I said, he's my new favorite!) On the last one I listened to, he talked about the Principle of the Path. Never before have I heard a principle that was so simple, yet so profound, and made me have one of those "AHA!" moments.

The principle is this:

Direction--not intention--determines your destination.

It seems like there are so many people who look back on their lives and think, "How in the world did I end up here??!" Failed relationships, loads of debt, poor health, moral crisis. The fact is that, despite their best intentions, they traveled down the wrong road, and kept going!

OK, to make it personal, I've wanted to be healthier for a while (lose some weight, gain muscle, and develop good eating habits). But the truth is, I find myself going over to McD's lately for mochas. That's the road I am choosing to travel, but it's not getting me to my destination. On the other hand, I've seen lately how the renewed vision and ever-increasing reality of our move has helped me to be more purposeful about taking steps to prepare for the church plant. I am listening to podcasts, reading books, learning from other leaders, blogging :) and getting our house out on the market. Instead of just great intentions, Shanygne and I are moving down the path that will get is to our destination.

There are so many applications to this principle that I feel a sermon series coming on!! :)

What roads are you taking to get to a destination? What roads are you taking that are not getting you to your destination?

Picture from www.sxc.hu, submitted by K_Alex.